Child Language Session RCSLT Conference May 2006

1
Child Language SessionRCSLT ConferenceMay 2006

• Human Communication Sciences, University of
  Sheffield
• Dr Judy Clegg
• Sarah Spencer
• Professor Joy Stackhouse
• Collaborators
• I CAN
• Sophie Leicester, Sheffield Local Education
  Authority

2
Adults with persisting speech and language
difficulties life experiences and outcomes

• Dr Judy Clegg
• Professor Joy Stackhouse
• Human Communication Sciences, University of
  Sheffield
• Dr Jeff Wardle, Dawn House School, I CAN

3
Why?

• Speech and language difficulties (SLD) do persist
  
• Changes in SLD over time
• Identification of risk and resilience factors
• Information about prognoses
• Effective provision and support

4
Background to this project

• Outcomes of a group of boys with DLD who were
  followed up in their mid thirties (Clegg et al.,
  2005)
• Significant impairments in cognitive, social and
  psychiatric functioning over time and at outcome
• A small sample with severe initial SLD
• Indications that there are variations in adult
  outcomes
• A need to know more about what provision is
  effective for older adolescents and adults
• Clegg, J., Hollis, C., Mawhood, L., Rutter, M.
  (2005). Developmental language disorders a
  follow up in later adult life. Cognitive,
  language and psychosocial outcomes. Journal of
  Child Psychology Psychiatry, 46, 128-149.

5
A collaborative project

• Dawn House School and I CAN
• To identify adult needs to inform post 16 years
  provision
• Detailed school archive files available
  longitudinal trajectories
• Outcomes across cognition, speech and language
  and psycho-social adaptation
• Participants and parents life experiences

6
Design

• 10 ex-pupils of DHS (21 years to 38 years)
• 4 female and 6 male
• Contacted by letter
• Visited either at home or DHS
• Assessment designed to utilise the archive data
  available
• Standardised assessments and semi-structured
  interview including video recording

7
Adult Outcomes

• Cognition
• Variable across the sample
• Discrepancies between non-verbal and verbal IQ
• Changes over time
• Speech
• Improvements over time
• Initial severe difficulties persist over time
• Language
• Comprehension and production difficulties
• Initial severe difficulties persist over time but
  there is improvement
• Less improvement than found in speech abilities
  (as measured by standardised assessments)
• Communication
• Self reported difficulties in communication
  abilities

8
Life experiences

• Independence
• Limited independent living
• Dependent on financial circumstances
• Employment
• 9/10 in employment
• Level dependent on academic achievement
• Older participants experienced work based
  difficulties
• Bullying in the workplace is common
• Academic achievement
• Related to severity of speech and language
  difficulty
• Less attainment in the older participants
• Relationships
• Related to level of self perceived communicative
  competence
• Parental support
• More positive experiences reported where
  parental/family support is extensive

9
Implications for DHS and Post 16 yrs

• Driving theory test very problematic
• Career advice for participants and parents
• Support relationships and transitions
• To stay at DHS for post 16 years provision for
  more specific tailored support. Connexions
  services reported to be very variable and not
  specific to the needs of SLD
• Older participants reported a need for more
  academic qualifications difficult for these
  participants to now access this
• Further projects to follow to explore in more
  depth the findings of this preliminary study

10
Acknowledgements

• Staff at I CAN and Dawn House School
• Jenny McConnell, Dawn House School
• Alex Hall, I CAN
• Participants and their families
• Funded by the Knowledge Transfer Opportunity
  Fund 2005/2006

11
Language and Social DisadvantageA preliminary
study of the impact of social disadvantage at
secondary school age

• S.Spencer, Speech and Language Therapist
  Middlesbrough PCT
• J.Clegg, Human Communication Sciences, University
  of Sheffield
• J.Stackhouse, Human Communication Sciences,
  University of Sheffield
• S.Leicester, Sheffield Local Education Authority

12
Reasons for the study

• Evidence to suggest that younger children in
  areas of social disadvantage have delayed
  language skills and the implications of this for
  education (Locke et al., 2002).
• A secondary school reported concerns that a large
  proportion of their pupils showed language
  difficulties. Indicated by CAT (Thorndike et
  al., 1986)
• Compared to early years research, very little is
  known about language development in the secondary
  school years.
• Offered an opportunity for collaborative but
  preliminary research with a hard to reach
  population.

13
Aims of the study

• A pilot study to address the following
• Do secondary age pupils in an area of social
  disadvantage who present with discrepant verbal
  and non-verbal reasoning scores present with
  language delay when measured on standardised
  language assessments?
• If these pupils do present with language delay,
  what is the severity of this and are there
  associations with academic attainment?
• What are the educational implications of the
  findings and how do the findings inform future
  research in this area?

14
What we did

• Language Assessment
• The Test for the Reception of Grammar version 2
  (TROG) (Bishop, 2003).
• The long form of the British Picture Vocabulary
  Scale 3rd ed. (BPVS) (Dunn et al, 1982).
• The Formulating Sentences subtest from the
  Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals
  (CELF-3) (Semel et al, 1995).
• The Recalling Sentences subtest from the CELF-3.
• SAT data and CAT scores available
• Attempted to recruit 11 pupils
• Final sample was 6 pupils, ages 1208 to 1404
  years, 2 female and 4 male.

15
What we found

• All the participants showed language
  difficulties as measured by the standardised
  assessments
• There was variation
• None of the participants showed speech
  difficulties
• CAT scores were not associated with the level of
  language difficulty identified by the language
  assessments
• Associations between language ability and SAT
  scores were variable

16
In more detail..The severity of language
difficulty
17
Considerations

• Some preliminary evidence that secondary school
  pupils in an area of social deprivation have
  language difficulties
• However, this is only a pilot study and we need
  to highlight the following
• -The use of the CAT?
• -The variation in ability
• -Nature of the language difficulties?
• -Scores could be related to the standardisation
  of assessments used.

18
What next?

• This preliminary study has methodological
  problems and generalisation is limited.
• But results do indicate that some adolescents in
  this school have significant language
  difficulties that have not previously been
  detected.
• This study supports findings that adolescents in
  the behaviour unit of the same school also had
  language difficulties.
• There is a need for further research.

19
References

• Bishop, D.V.M. (2003) Test for Reception of
  Grammar, Version Two. The Psychological
  Corporation UK.
• Dunn, L.M., Dunn, L.M., Whetton, C. and Pintilie,
  D. (1982) British Picture Vocabulary Scale.
  Windsor nferNelson.
• Locke, A., Ginsborg, J. and Peers, I. (2002)
  Development and disadvantage implications for
  the early years and beyond. International Journal
  of Language and Communication, 37, 3-15.
• Semel, E., Wiig, E.H., Secord, W.A. (1995)
  Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals,
  Third Edition. The Psychological Corporation UK.
  

20
Many thanks to

• Middlesbrough PCT for supporting and financing
  this presentation